I know I spent the lead of Sunday morning's CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 explaining why Auburn should remain No. 1 in all human rankings even after Saturday's loss to Florida. But Monday is when the Associated Press Top 25 poll updates each week. So Auburn is going to be the story again just as soon as the update comes, one way or another. And that's why I want to focus on the Tigers a little more, because, yeah, Auburn is going to be the story.
It's a big day for the AP poll!
Either AP voters will collectively drop Auburn from No. 1 even though the Tigers undeniably have the sport's best body of work or AP voters will make Auburn the rare team to remain No. 1 in the AP poll immediately following a loss. My prediction: AP voters — certainly not all of them, but somehow enough of them — will prove smart enough to keep the team that should be No. 1 at the top of college basketball's most-referenced poll.
After Auburn, we can debate.
But if AP voters have any interest in ensuring their poll is actually a reflection of how this season is unfolding, there is no debate about which school they should have No. 1 when their poll updates later Monday. It's Auburn — thanks to a 21-2 record highlighted by a 12-2 mark in Quadrant 1 that gives the Tigers at least four more Q1 wins than everybody else and at least one less loss than any other team in the Top 25 And 1.
That's the best resume in the country. That's why Auburn deserves No. 1.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Denver Jones was 0-of-4 from the field in Saturday's 90-81 loss to Florida. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 30-5 |
| 2 |  | Grant Nelson finished with 15 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 85-81 win at Arkansas. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday at Texas. | -- | 27-8 |
| 3 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 70-52 win at Oklahoma. The Vols' next game is Tuesday at Kentucky. | -- | 29-7 |
| 4 |  | Caleb Foster was 0-of-3 from the field in Saturday's 77-71 loss at Clemson. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Cal. | -- | 33-3 |
| 5 |  | Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 19 points and nine assists in Saturday's 90-81 win at Auburn. The Gators' next game is Tuesday at Mississippi State. | -- | 32-4 |
| 6 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 69-59 win at Colorado. The Cougars' next game is Monday against Baylor. | -- | 32-4 |
| 7 |  | Trey Kaufman-Reen finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 90-72 win vs. USC. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday at Michigan | -- | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | RJ Luis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 68-62 win at UConn. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday at Villanova. | -- | 31-5 |
| 9 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 24 points and one assist in Saturday's 82-52 win over TCU. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at UCF. | -- | 25-10 |
| 10 |  | Pharrel Payne finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 67-64 win at Missouri. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday against Georgia. | -- | 23-11 |
| 11 |  | Stevie Mitchell was 4-of-14 from the field in Saturday's 77-67 loss at Creighton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against DePaul. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 20 points and seven assists in Sunday's 90-82 win over Temple. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at South Florida. | -- | 29-6 |
| 13 |  | Jase Richardson finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 86-74 win over Oregon. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Indiana. | -- | 29-6 |
| 14 |  | Dre Davis finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 72-70 win at LSU. The Rebels' next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 24-11 |
| 15 |  | Danny Wolf finished with 20 points and five assists in Saturday's 70-67 win at Indiana. The Wolverines' next game is Tuesday against Purdue. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Otega Oweh finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 80-57 win over South Carolina. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Tennessee. | -- | 24-11 |
| 17 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 16 points and six assists in Saturday's 76-75 win at Georgia. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday against Florida. | -- | 21-13 |
| 18 |  | John Tonje finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 74-63 win over Iowa. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Purdue | -- | 27-10 |
| 19 |  | Steven Ashworth finished with 22 points and seven assists in Saturday's 77-67 win over Marquette. The Bluejays' next game is Tuesday against UConn. | -- | 25-11 |
| 20 |  | Caleb Love finished with 16 points and six assists in Saturday's 82-73 win over Texas Tech. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Kansas State. | -- | 24-12 |
| 21 |  | Kobe Johnson finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 78-54 win over Penn State. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday at Illinois. | -- | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | Elijah Hawkins was 3-of-12 from the field in Saturday's 82-73 loss at Arizona. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. | -- | 27-8 |
| 23 |  | Tamar Bates was 5-of-17 from the field in Saturday's 67-64 loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma. | -- | 22-12 |
| 24 |  | Reyne Smith finished with 26 points and five assists in Saturday's 88-78 win over Miami. The Cardinals' next game is Wednesday at NC State. | -- | 27-8 |
| 25 |  | Rylan Griffen was 1-of-7 from the field in Saturday's 81-73 loss at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Colorado. | -- | 21-13 |
| 26 |  | Viktor Lakhin finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 77-71 win over Duke. The Tigers' next game is Monday against North Carolina. | -- | 27-7 |
